Tech Talk

17 Jul Increasing Diversity in Tech Will Take a Lot More Than Promises

Facebook and Google have been trying to increase diversity for a year, to little result.

15 Jul Virginia Tech president starts second year with plans for growth

BLACKSBURG — Last year’s highest-profile Virginia Tech “freshman” is beginning his second year by welcoming the largest entering class in the university’s history and planning for future growth. Timothy Sands — or Tim, as he introduces himself — began his tenure as Tech’s 16th president in July of last year, replacing Charles Steger. The 57-year-old former Purdue University provost spent much of his first year at Tech building relationships with alumni, state legislators and donors as well as recruiting new high-level administrators who will shape the university’s future for years to come. And that future is expected to bring a bigger and more diverse student body, a change that could be both a boon and a challenge for Blacksburg. Despite his short time in the position, Sands already has garnered praise for his ability to build relationships and good will by taking a populist approach to his job as the official face of the university.

15 Jul The tech business week: Fitbit’s IPO and diversity in STEM

Fitbit’s IPO values company at US$6bn as stock rises by half The Fitbit IPO was pretty successful, with share prices up 48pc on close of trading seeing the wearable giant valued at US$6bn. The San Fransisco company was always going to draw in interested investors given its position at the top of the burgeoning wearable market. It’s actually leading that sector by so much that it’s probably only the Apple Watch figures, when they are officially announced, that will reel it in.

14 Jul Digital Grass event promotes inclusion in civic innovation

“What does civic innovation mean to you, and how would you define it?” Michael Hall, co-founder of Digital Grass, posed this question to a panel of civic innovators at The LAB Miami last week at “The Big Business of Civic Innovation.” Digital Grass, a Knight Foundation grantee and technology and innovation firm, sponsored the event to help discover the necessary steps to keep local innovators in South Florida while maintaining diversity in the community’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event’s panel included locals Matt Haggman, Pandwe Gibson and Armando Ibarra in addition to special guest speaker Carla Mays, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and ecosystem builder. Mays took the first attempt at answering Hall’s question.

14 Jul Tech companies spend big money on bias training—but it hasn’t improved diversity numbers

Facebook recently redoubled its efforts on bias training when its diversity numbers barely budged from last year, now at 16% female, 3% Hispanic and 1% black among its tech workers. The company reworked its Managing Bias course to be “harder hitting” and is “rolling it out to our teams across the world.”